Published 3:00 am, Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Before Sept. 11, 2001, many Americans were unaware that the world was a dangerous place.

On Sept. 11, 2001, I remember watching the towers fall. I watched it on TV, not really sure of what I had witnessed. Working at a daily newspaper in southern New Mexico at the time, I was fairly removed from what was going on. But as the morning dragged on, a planned special edition dragged me into the office. For weeks, I was immersed in it. Every day, new stories came out. Television focused on it.

My escape was my then-3-year-old son, who played in the newsroom and was the distraction everyone turned to when the news got to be too much.

This Sunday is Patriot Day in the United States, a day where Americans remember those who died in the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, some 15 years ago now.

Sept. 11 is not a national holiday but a day of remembrance. By presidential decree, the American flag is lowered to half staff at the White House and all government buildings and facilities worldwide. Americans are encouraged to fly flags. If it were not on a Sunday, schools would be open. Businesses conduct business and people go on with their days as normal.

At 7:46 a.m. (CDT) Sunday, a moment of silence will be observed in many communities to correspond with the time the first plane hit the north tower of the World Trade Center.

Even with the lowered flags and moment of silence, it really doesn’t appear that enough reverence is given to Patriot Day. What is being remembered that day?

Well, most importantly, it is the 2,977 people who lost their lives that day. For comparison sake, 2,403 people died in the attacks on Pearl Harbor which brought the United States into World War II.

The biggest difference between the two events is that those who died on Sept. 11 were normal people working jobs and living their lives. At Pearl Harbor, the bulk of the victims were members of the military. That is not to diminish those who died, but there is an expectation of danger associated with the military that most office workers do not share.

Perhaps a reason why Patriot Day does not get its due is the aftermath.

It led - either directly or indirectly, depending on whom you ask - to a two-front war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since then, about 6,895 members of the military and American contractors have died during the “war on terror,” according to Department of Defense figures on www.defense.gov. More than 53,400 have been wounded in action.

Is America safer because of the military actions? There really is no way to quantify that.

Closer to home, are the people of the greater Houston region safer?

Without a major military presence, how long would it take to respond to terrorist attack along the Houston Ship Channel? Remember, that is home to the largest petro-chemical center in the United States. Over the years, I have heard congressmen say if an attack were made against one of the industrial complexes, an Air Force response would come from the 149th Fighter Wing in San Antonio or one of the air bases in Oklahoma. Kind of a long way from Houston, right?

Anyone who thinks this area is safe needs to realize that a major airport - like Bush Intercontinental Airport - can be the jumping off point for a terrorist attack. A well-planned attack on the Port of Houston with its industrial complexes would be a major hit to the United States.

But what this is about is Patriot Day and remembering those people who died on Sept. 11. Truly reflect this Sunday. You may not know the name of a single person who died that day but remember where you were and the uncertainty that accompanied everything.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve never set foot in New York, Washington D.C. or Pennsylvania, you have been affected and you should reflect on the events of that day.